


I shall call the pebble Dare

by SteelBlaidd



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: End of life retrospective, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Married Life, Pregnancy, labor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-12
Updated: 2020-09-12
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:07:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,302
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26420851
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SteelBlaidd/pseuds/SteelBlaidd
Summary: "It's time I suppose. Probably long past time.”Losing Sass would hurt but no one could bear a miraculous forever.And he was tired, so very tired.And he missed Marinette.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Kagami Tsurugi, Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe, Luka Couffaine & Nino Lahiffe, Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 22
Kudos: 47
Collections: LBSCSprintFicChallenge





	I shall call the pebble Dare

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the [Love Bugs and Snake Charmers Tumbler Sprint Challenge #1](https://lovebugs-and-snakecharmers.tumblr.com/post/628789140314619904/lbsc-sprint-fic-challenge-1?is_related_post=1)
> 
> Prompt was 3. “As long as I’m next to you, I don’t care”
> 
> Title is from the song [By My Side](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fX6dq7cNIOA) from the musical Godspell

Luka stared with cloudy sightless eyes as the warmth of the setting sun crept across his bed. Familiar steps sounded in the hall.

“Grandpere, there is someone to see you.” The voice of his youngest great-granddaughter called from the doorway. “Thank you Sybal, I think I know who it is.”

He raised his hand and grasped the incoming one lifting himself slightly to give the Guardian a one armed hug.

“Dude, it's been too long.” Nino’s voice was still strong despite its age. Luka knew his own had grown quevery in the last years along with the dimming light.

“Yes it has, party for the first great great grandchild I think it was. But It's time I suppose. Probably long past time.” Losing Sass would hurt but no one could bear a miraculous forever. And he was tired, so very tired.

“Didn’t need to take Sass, the next holder wasn't ready yet, dude. But, yeah it's time.“ Luka raised his hand to where Sass was coiled around his throat and rubbed the kwamis hood. “Will you miss me?“ He asked with a smile in his voice. “Of course my young friend,” the kwami hissed cheerfully. Luka snorted “I suppose to you I still am young.“ 

“I miss them Nino. Mom, Juleka, Rose, Ivan.” tears came so easily to him now. “Me too Dude, I miss Alya, and Noel, hell I even miss Chloe, and that's not a sentence I would have thought would cross my lips in a million years back when this all started.” 

Luka laughed along with his guest “I miss Adrien and Kagami. And I miss Ma-Ma-Marinette most of all.” He felt the sob choke his throat as the memories welled up unbidden.

* * *

“Viperion! What was so important that we needed to meet in person?” Ladybug said as she landed behind him on the upper platform of the Eiffel tower. “I hope you weren't planning on giving back your Miraculous.” Ladybug said. Her voice so tight it squeaked. “Never, not unless you ask for it back. I just wanted to let you know that as long as you need me to, I'll be there for you.” At these words he could see the tension flow out of her. “Oh, is that all.” She said too casually. 

“I did have another question.” Ladybug stood waiting in nervous silence. “You told me you had given up on the boy you were in love with. Does that mean you have chosen to consider Chat.” She turned away and hugged herself. “No. we’ve decided to just be friends, and he has a girlfriend now.” Ladybug's voice was heavy. “Besides,” one hand stole across her cheek as if catching a tear. As Guardian I don't have time for that right now anyway.“ Luka walked softly up behind the scarlet superhero. He wrapped his arms around her carefully, as if she would shatter if he squeezed too hard. “This may not be the time. But don't forget to make time some day.”

* * *

“Luka, can you take me home?” She asked as they stood outside the Agreste Mansion The announcement that Gebriel Agreste was Hawk Moth had just gone out across all the media in France and they need to not be there when the vultures descended. “I don’t want to be Ladybug right now.” 

She sat on the back of his bike arms wrapped around his waist. He felt her shudder against his back, as he peddled the short few blocks to the bakery, in silence. 

When they arrived at the side entrance he watched as she stood with her back to him for a moment. Then she turned and placed a hand on his cheek before lifting onto her toes to kiss him gently like a cloud kissing the sun. “Thank you Luka, for all you've done”

* * *

She was bent over fixing a hem before her first show. He waited until she had bitten off the thread before touching the cold soda to her neck. Then pulled it back so it wouldn’t spill as she jumped into the air. “Eeek! What in- LUKA!” He laughed as she stared at him in fury. Chin tucked to her chest, shoulders around her ears, fists pushed down as if she was trying to lift herself on thin air. “Here,” he said as he passed her the cup and a bag of pastries from her parents bakery. Juleka and Adrien both called and said you had not had anything since this morning. Eat love before you fall over.” “But there's so much to do,'' she whined around her second croissant. ”Which you can't do if you are flat on your face.” he retorted. “So I'm going to stand here and watch you eat that whole bag. Don’t worry about sharing. I gave everyone else theirs already.” She pouted, but kept eating.

* * *

He remembered eyes shining as he somehow managed to say the words that made her his wife. The rest of the ceremony was a complete fog.

* * *

He walked her out to the car as she headed off to a day full of meetings. As she kissed him and prepared to get in she stopped. “Don't you ever regret trading your career for mine?“ she asked, hesitantly. 

“Fame and fortune was never what I was into. All I ever wanted was to play music that meant something to people And I'll happily trade all the platinum records in the world to be your husband. As long as I’m next to you, I don’t care.” 

She blushed and gave him a more thorough kiss then got in the car .

* * *

“Luka, breathe with me.” He felt air rush into his lungs, only noticing that he had been holding his breath because of her words. He screamed in the back of his mind in frustration. Marinette was the one in labor and he was the one freaking out. ”What's wrong?“ she said as she arched her back into his hand in a cat stretch. Always gentle, always taking care of others. “Marinette, there's so much that could go wrong.” He really shouldn't have read all those bad birth stories. 

Her laugh was interrupted by a deep moan. “It’s ok,” she said between pants. “We have an excellent midwife and I have done this before. Just promise you won’t faint and we'll be fine.”

He laughed, “As if I could ever leave you.”

* * *

The memories flashed by, battles, babies. Happy times and sad. Time spent with family and friends. Time hoarded and spent alone. Monumental triumphs and crushing loss. Even with all the power of her Ladybugs and Second Chance and even the Burrow, heroing was dangerous. 

The day came when they passed down the earrings to Luis their youngest. And n time all the jewels had new bearers. Though Plagg held on to Adrien the longest after Wayzz and Sass. The little gremlin protesting the whole time that he just didn’t want to have to break in some new dumb kid. Luka rocked Marinette for hours after Kagami cried herself to sleep in their arms the night the Black Cat’s bad luck finally caught up with him. Then came the day the Miracle box, passed to Nino.

Eventually all their friends laid down all their burdens, and it was just Nino and Kagami and himself from those first years left to stand at the wall of fallen heroes on Heroes day. Later they would lean on each other before the nitches where the ashes of their most loved lay. Then it was just him and Nino, and soon Nino would be alone in keeping the memory. 

But that was alright. 

Marinette called him. 

There was one last thing to do and then he could rest at her side forever. 

“Sybl, come in here a moment. I have a gift for you.”

**Author's Note:**

> My great gratitude to the _Fabulous_ people at the [ Miraculous Fanworks Discord](https://discord.gg/mlfanworks), who have encouraged me and kept me going.
> 
> If you write or draw for this fandom, or just want to, come play with us.


End file.
